Sustainable Production Of Horticultural Crops Research Articles

Comprehensive review: Effects of climate change and greenhouse gases emission relevance to environmental stress on horticultural crops and management

Global climate change exerts a significant impact on sustainable horticultural crop production and quality. Rising Global temperatures have compelled the agricultural community to adjust planting and harvesting schedules, often necessitating earlier crop cultivation. Notably, climate change introduces a suite of ominous factors, such as greenhouse gas emissions (CGHs), including elevated temperature, increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) ozone depletion (O3), and deforestation, all of which intensify environmental stresses on crops. Consequently, climate change stands poised to adversely affect crop yields and livestock production. Therefore, the primary objective of the review article is to furnish a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted factors influencing horticulture production, encompassing fruits, vegetables, and plantation crops with a particular emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions and environmental stressors such as high temperature, drought, salinity, and emission of CO2. Additionally, this review will explore the implementation of novel horticultural crop varieties and greenhouse technology that can contribute to mitigating the adverse impact of climate change on agricultural crops.

Survey of the Influences of Microbial Biostimulants on Horticultural Crops: Case Studies and Successful Paradigms

Sustainable farming of horticultural plants has been the focus of research during the last decade, paying significant attention to alarming weather extremities and climate change, as well as the pressure of biotic stressors on crops. Microbial biostimulants, including plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), have been proven to increase plant growth via both direct and indirect processes, as well as to increase the availability and uptake of nutrients, boosting soil quality, increasing plants’ tolerance to abiotic stress and increasing the overall quality attributes of various horticultural crops (e.g., vegetables, fruit, herbs). The positive effects of microbial biostimulants have been confirmed so far, mostly through symbiotic interactions in the plant–soil–microbes ecosystem, which are considered a biological tool to increase quality parameters of various horticultural crops as well as to decrease soil degradation. However, more research is needed to address future challenges of crop production through revealing the mechanisms of action and identifying response patterns of crops to various microbial products. The present review aims to present the most up-to-date results regarding the practical applications of microbial biostimulants in horticultural species, including case studies of successful paradigms for the most important microbial genera of PGPB and AMF. Moreover, the mechanisms of the actions are briefly described while future remarks are also discussed, aiming to suggest further needs to be addressed for the successful establishment of microbial biostimulants in sustainable horticultural crop production.

Novel Approaches for Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production: Advances and Prospects

Reduction of plant growth, yield and quality due to diverse environmental constrains along with climate change significantly limit the sustainable production of horticultural crops. In this review, we highlight the prospective impacts that are positive challenges for the application of beneficial microbial endophytes, nanomaterials (NMs), exogenous phytohormones strigolactones (SLs) and new breeding techniques (CRISPR), as well as controlled environment horticulture (CEH) using artificial light in sustainable production of horticultural crops. The benefits of such applications are often evaluated by measuring their impact on the metabolic, morphological and biochemical parameters of a variety of cultures, which typically results in higher yields with efficient use of resources when applied in greenhouse or field conditions. Endophytic microbes that promote plant growth play a key role in the adapting of plants to habitat, thereby improving their yield and prolonging their protection from biotic and abiotic stresses. Focusing on quality control, we considered the effects of the applications of microbial endophytes, a novel class of phytohormones SLs, as well as NMs and CEH using artificial light on horticultural commodities. In addition, the genomic editing of plants using CRISPR, including its role in modulating gene expression/transcription factors in improving crop production and tolerance, was also reviewed.

Roles of indoor vertical farming in sustainable production of horticultural crops

Roles of indoor vertical farming in sustainable production of horticultural crops

Emerging Horticultural Research and Education Opportunities in Myanmar

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (also known as Burma) has been undergoing political transformation in recent years that has opened up new opportunities for agricultural development. Agriculture is an important component of the country’s economy, and horticultural production has good potential for fostering development. Compared with many other developing countries, Myanmar is relatively rich in natural resources (e.g., water) that could support diverse horticultural crop production. Precipitation is relatively abundant but seasonable, and much of the country is frost free. Nonetheless, for the vast majority of fruit and vegetable crops, yields are well below world averages. The agriculture sector contributes 38% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs more than 60% of the workforce. However, Myanmar has only one agricultural university, and the supply of well-qualified graduates is far below that which is needed for a robust horticultural sector. Horticulture is one of the major departments at the agricultural university. Many faculty and students are enthusiastic, motivated, and open to professional development. Hence, there is a significant opportunity to increase academic and technical capacity in horticulture. Specific areas of need include seed science technology, improved fertilizer use, pest management practices, postharvest technology, improved genetic resources, application of biotechnology, and increased extension advisory services. Although there are many obstacles to overcome, improved and sustainable horticultural crop production provides a significant opportunity for addressing human nutrition and economic development issues in the country.

Organic Aapproaches for sustainable production of horticultural crops: A review

Sustainability in horticulture/agriculture is one of the major concerns of humanity as on today. Indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals and water over 5–6 decades, have adversely affected soil fertility, crop productivity, produce quality and particularly the environment in many parts of the world. As alternative, number of organic farming systems such as Biodynamic Farming, Natural Farming, Nateuco Farming, Panchagavya Farming, RishiKrishi, Jaivik Krishi, Homa organic farming etc. emerged in different parts of the country. After close observation, it is evident that these systems are capable of enhancing rhizosphere or biosphere. Owing to this, these are effective for short duration but may not be capable of assuring sustainable production in future. As result of positive response with organic systems, particularly with Biodynamic, Pathak (2009) suggested to see the possibility of integration of few techniques of organic farming for their synergistic impact and coined new term HomaJaivikKrishi (Pathak & Ram, 2010). This has compelled us to conceive an organic production system, which is capable of enhancing rhizosphere and biosphere simultaneously which we are trying to popularise as “HomaJaivik Krishi”. Since rhizosphere, hardly provide 4–6% nutrition to the crops, hence its integration with Homa Organic Farming for providing rest of the nutrients had been conceived by us. As per over decade of experience, we are of firm view that, if applied in organic environment with organic mind set, HomaJaivik Krishi (HJK) has capacity to assure sustainable agriculture even at this juncture. As external input, only cow has to be arranged. Key component of HJK are: use of agriculture calendar for different crop activities, habitat development through greening of area, inclusion of BNF (biological nitrogen fixation) in the system, mulching, water conservation, duly coupled with use of enriched compost, supplemented with bio enhancers and need base use of bio pesticides. These techniques are quite effective in enhancing, the three sources of energy i.e. the soil, and water and nearby environment. On deep insight, it is apparent that in conventional agriculture, importance of rhizosphere and biosphere has been somehow ignored. Homa organic farming which has capacity of healing biosphere can be integrated with any organic farming systems. It is interesting to note that in ancient time, people have confidence of deriving free energy form Panch Mahabhutas with minimum efforts. Somehow in the name of advancement, we are not able to understand importance of their energy. We have witnessed encouraging results with Homa Jaivik Krishi at number of farmer's fields. Owing to new concept, somehow people do not have confidence that without use of agro chemicals India can't feed the population with sinking resources. We have tried to review experiences of few dedicated people, institutions and our own experiences and hope that present attempt will provide cheap and effective techniques for sustainable agriculture. It is pertinent to mention, that organic cultivation is catching up slowly but steadily, which is evident from two recent development i.e. declaration of Sikkim as organic State of India and recognizing untiring efforts of Shree Subash Palekar, Government of India crowned him with Padma Shree, for popularization of Zero Budget Natural Farming in India.

Undergraduate Writing Promotes Student’s Understanding of International Sustainable Development in Horticulture

Promotion of undergraduate student thinking and learning in the realm of sustainable production is a new focus for horticulture curricula. In a writing intensive course, Greenhouse Management (Hort 3002W; University of Minnesota), students focus their learning of sustainability by writing peer-reviewed, 3-phase ‘Worldwide Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production Papers’ on past, present, and future prospects for sustainability. The USA is used as an in-class example throughout the semester while each student focuses their writing on a specific country of their choosing. Their papers focus on eight goals for each country across the three Phases: I—their choice of a country, definition of sustainability, identification of historical production practices, current production statistics; II—current production practices and integration of historical/current practices (ranked strategies); III—finalized sustainable development strategy, design of a future sustainable, controlled-environment production facility. The last two goals (Phase III) provide plant breeders with potential breeding objectives for country-specific cultivar development within a sustainable production framework. Completed papers are web-published for global availability to enable each country’s researchers and policy makers to access sustainable ideas for future development. In 2009–2010, ‘Worldwide Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production Papers’ were published for 41 countries which were downloaded 3900 times in 19 months through April 2011. This large readership indicates such an assignment can generate interest in either undergraduate writing about developing sustainable horticulture and/or the topic area itself, although the exact purpose of the downloads or the location of the users could not be determined.

EDUCATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLANT BREEDERS FOR HORTICULTURAL CROP IMPROVEMENT

ISHS XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): Colloquia and Overview EDUCATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLANT BREEDERS FOR HORTICULTURAL CROP IMPROVEMENT

Sustainable horticultural crop production through intercropping: The case of fruits and vegetable crops: A review

Sustainable agriculture seeks to at least use nature as the model for designing agricultural systems. Since nature integrates her plants and animals into diverse landscape, a major tenet of sustainable agriculture is efficiency and lack of waste products in nature. When domestication of crops replaced hunting and gathering of food, landscape changed accordingly. By producing a limited selection of crop plants and animals, human kind has substantially reduced the level of biological diversity over much of the earth. There is more cooperation in nature than competition. Cooperation is exemplified by mutually beneficial relationships that occur between species within communities. If left undistributed and unplanted an abandoned crop field will first be colonized by just a few species of organisms but after several years a complex community made up of many wild species develops. Stability is reached by a community when it has reached a high level of diversity. Diverse communities have fewer fluctuations in numbers of a given species and are stable. The practices which promote diversity and stability on the farm are enterprise diversification, crop rotation, use of wind breaks, provision of more habitats for microorganisms, intercropping and integration of crop farming with livestock production. Intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops at the same time in the same field. Its advantages are risk minimization, increased income and food security, reduction of soil erosion and pest and disease control. This paper discusses the practice of intercropping in horticultural crop production to promote sustainability. Many crop systems are discussed.

Nitrogen Assimilation and Biomass Yield of Winter Cover Crops Used in Sustainable Horticultural Crop Production

Cover crops are planted during winter to prevent soil erosion, improve soil quality, and supply nutrients to the subsequent spring crops. In a 2-year study, three winter cover crops were compared for their nitrogen assimilation and biomass yielding ability. The experimental design was randomized complete block replicated four times with cereal rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover, and a fallow control comprising the treatments. Cover crop roots were well distributed from 1 to 50 cm of soil depth and increased from fall to spring as temperature increased. There was greater reduction in soil inorganic N during fall and winter in cover crop plots compared to control. Early season soil NO–3 concentration was lower in rye than crimson clover or hairy vetch. The amount of N assimilated by hairy vetch and crimson clover was significantly greater than cereal rye or control. There was no difference in the biomass yield of the three cover crops during the first year, but cereal rye and crimson clover produced significantly greater biomass than hairy vetch during the second year. The results suggest that cereal rye is more suited for preventing leaching of residual N from the preceding summer crop, while the two legumes can supply more N to the following crop.